London boroughs came under fire today after figures revealed they failed to collect more than £640 million in council tax.

Of the 10 English councils owed most money, seven were in London, with Hackney, Hounslow and Lambeth among the worst.

The huge amount of arrears means the equivalent of £189 is owed for every taxpaying household in the capital.

The statistics sparked a political row after Communities Secretary Eric Pickles accused Labour authorities of “turning a blind eye to tax evasion”.

He highlighted how nine of the 10 worst councils for tax collecting in London were Labour run. Tory councils were on average owed £61 for every household, compared with £76 for Liberal Democrat authorities and £143 for those run by Labour in the year ending March 2012.

But shadow communities secretary Hilary Benn hit back, attacking cuts to council tax benefit. “Councils make every effort to collect what is owed and crack down hard on fraud, and that’s why collection rates have been improving,” he said.